After a Month of Waiting, Terrelle Pryor Does the Right Thing

It's all well when it ends well. Well, at least if you are a Buckeye fan.

After weeks of waiting, Terrelle Pryor, arguably the most gifted QB to play high school football, has made his decision. He will wear scarlet and gray for at least the next three years.

It really should have come as no surprise to all who were following Pryor throughout his recruiting process that he chose Ohio State; he has become close friends with many Ohio State signees, the school is close to his family, every year the Buckeyes field a competitive team and this choice gives him the best chance to be what he wants to be— an NFL quarterback.

"It was just the right fit," Pryor said."...In the end it came down to what was right for me."

Now, people argue that he'd be a great fit in Rich Rodriguez's spread-option offense in Michigan or even with Mike Bellotti's version in Oregon and those are valid points, Pryor would be unstoppable running those offenses. Think Pat White/Dennis Dixon but stronger and more polished.

So why, you ask, did he choose Ohio State? The three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust Ohio State, Tresselball Ohio State, Beanie Wells first and foremost Ohio State, you get the picture. When you think Ohio State, you think great running games, not spread offenses.

But this is when Jim Tressel walks in to save the day. Tressell is too good of a coach to stick with one simple offense.

The term "Tresselball" was coined in 2002 when the Bucks used a shutdown defense, an anemic passing game and a great runningback carrying them to an improbable win in the National Title game. However, if you think this is all Tressel knows, examine the last two years. 

In 2005 the Buckeyes had one of the best offenses in the nation behind Troy Smith and Co., and, last year, because of an inexperienced QB, Tressel used Beanie Wells like the workhorse he is.

Tressel's triumph is that he doesn't wait for his players to adapt to his offense, he adapts his offense to his players. Pryor will come in and play a Tim Tebow-like role for his first year and after that will take over the starting spot.

Pryor's success in a zone-read offense is almost guaranteed, but going to Ohio State is the right choice for one main reason: how he will develop as a passer.

Pryor's goal is to become an NFL QB, and he sees college as a means to reach that goal and going to Michigan would have made that goal harder and more improbable.

Let's examine Pat White, the last QB to run Rodriguez's offense. He is a terrific athlete, but he won't be a good pro QB.

Let's face it, he has more chance of being a receiver/returner than a successful QB (think Antwan Randle-El). Going to Michigan would make Pryor one of the most aclaimed QBs in the college world, but, when the time to leave for the NFL came, he'd face the same critics as the likes of White and Dixon.

In Ohio State, however, he can develop into a pro-style passer and become much more atractive to pro scouts.

If you have any doubt about it, look at Troy Smith, he came in as a last scholarship athlete and left as one of the most successful QBs in school history. Smith's knock as a pro is his height and at 6-foot-6, 235 pounds; Pryor won't face the same problem.

"Troy Smith ran some zone-read stuff early in his career, and then he developed into a pocket passer and did a lot of stuff out of the shotgun," Pryor said. "Both schools said they would utilize my athletic ability in the offense, but I think I can be more well-rounded at Ohio State."

By making this decision, Pryor strenghthens one ideal that has become quite clear in the past five years. The Big 10 has become the Big 1, with Ohio State being the class of a mediocre conference. And, with Pryor on board, expect at least three more years of the same.

Pryor said he's excited about the decision. And so is every other Buckeye fan.